How to carbonate kegs

The ins and outs of putting your beer into kegs.

Postby Nuxta » Wednesday Feb 21, 2007 4:19 pm

Thanks for the feedback guys. I force carbed the the beer at 230 kpa for 2 days. I have tried pouring at every temp imaginable
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Postby Ross » Wednesday Feb 21, 2007 4:41 pm

Nuxta,

Unfortunately you have over carbonated your beer - Your only recourse is to leave the relief valve open & let it slowly lose gas. Gentle rocking now & then of the keg will speed things up, but if the keg is nearly full, it will foam out the valve.
So leave it open, & then each morning/evening, close the valve & try pouring a beer at approx 50kpa. When tou can finally pour a beer, you are there. Will probably take 1 to 2 days.
For your next attempt at carbonating, follow this excellent pictorial guide
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10667&hl=carbonating
There are many theories & methods, but most don't help the person just starting out. Leaving beers for days @ high pressures & people saying things like "rock the keg 50 times" just don't cut the mustard. If you haven't got the time to just leave the freshly kegged beer for 7 days at pouring pressure, then you need a RELIABLE method to get there quickly. The above link will show you how to be pouring a good beer in approx 15 minutes after kegging it.

Cheers Ross
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Postby Nuxta » Wednesday Feb 21, 2007 8:00 pm

Thanks so much Ross. I swapped to one of my other kegs and did what you said and it appears to be working much better.
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Postby OldBugman » Wednesday Feb 21, 2007 8:09 pm

trick I have done with over carbed kegs is to disconnect the gas and just use the keg pressure to pour it very slowly, if it slows too much give it s quick squirt of gas to get it flowing.
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby chadjaja » Sunday Mar 01, 2009 5:39 pm

OK my kegs are in the keezer and cold. I turned the gas on last night and this is my set up.

The advice I was given by the guys at G&G for the leave and forget method I choose to us.

Leave the gas set at 100kPa..
That should be my pouring pressure anyway they say with my 4mm beer line at 2.4mt length and a foot or so difference between my keg and tap.

I mainly drink ales and don't want overly fizzy beer like a lager but want a decent pouring speed. I take it if I find it too carbed for my liking I can just turn the pressure down, vent it a little and I presume I'd also have to shorten my beer line length a little. Or should I just turn it down now to a lower pressure and start with a possibly undercarbed beer which would be easier to adjust up rather than adjust the carbonation down?

Any hints for the best leave and forget method?
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby Ross » Tuesday Mar 03, 2009 6:21 pm

If you don't want over fizzy ales do not gas at 100kpa, that's bordering on lager territory.
50 to 70kpa for ales.

cheers Ross
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby chadjaja » Tuesday Mar 03, 2009 7:27 pm

Yeah I've turned it down to the 70kpa mark as I assumed it would be too fizzy or my liking and its easier to carb up to a higher rate than down after the first tasting.

And I also assume most of the instructions on carbing given out by shops etc are aimed at lagers. So slow carbing to a lower pressure means it takes less time to carb up as there is less volume to be absorbed? Will rocking the kegs even at this pressure speed up the process at all or is it a waste of time unless you are force carbing at the high pressures??

I'll be much happier when its all sorted and I don't touch the regulator ever and my pouring and carbing pressures are both the same. Tinkering only causes problems like with most things.
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby Neil » Sunday Sep 20, 2009 6:57 am

Hey all

I've got my keg of dopplesticke carbed up nicely now after setting the reg to serving pressure and keeping the keg at 5C. If I now disconnect the gas from that keg will the CO2 stay in solution and the beer continue to pour well? Just seeing if I can save on gas (using a sodastream bottle) for the next keg.

Cheers

Neil
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby billybushcook » Tuesday Oct 29, 2013 8:35 am

Hey guys, been a while!

Recently aquired a kegging set up so the obvious choice for info & tips was here.

Must say though that this thread can be a little confusing, so many different pressures & methods.

See if I have this right?

Cold keg - AG Pale Ale
Method # 1 - 100kpa & do the rock & roll
Method # 2 - 100Kpa in thru the beer out side.
Method # 3 - 100Kpa & leave it sit for a week with the gas connected.
Method # 4 - 300Kpa Over night (possibly the least consistant method)

Pour pressure around 50 Kpa (depending on set up)

Somewhere near the mark?

Cheers, Mick.
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby rotten » Tuesday Oct 29, 2013 11:56 am

Gday Billy, long time no type.

My method thanks to drsmurto is 350 kpa for say 10-15 seconds through beer out connect. Leave for 15 mins. No rocking required. Burp, hook up gas connect, adjust to your serving pressure and enjoy. It will carb up more over the following days and I sometimes adjust the prssure slightly as I go. Start off a bit lower, 50-70 kpa and see how you go.

Cheers
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby bullfrog » Tuesday Oct 29, 2013 7:39 pm

I use the shake, rattle and roll method and can be pouring a beer within 5 minutes of filling the keg. Can be a bit of a trial-and-error deal to work out for how long at what pressure gets you an ideal carbonation level but if you've got taps with flow regulators (ie. Celli's or similar) then this isn't too much of an issue.
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby billybushcook » Tuesday Oct 29, 2013 9:11 pm

bullfrog wrote: but if you've got taps with flow regulators (ie. Celli's or similar) then this isn't too much of an issue.

Yeah, been reading a bit about Gas per unit volume too, it seems 2.5 - 2.7 parts gas to beer might suite my needs but my acquired regulator does not have a flow meter.
Might be something I will invest in as I get into kegging a little more.

For many years I've shy'd away from kegs for one main reason. That being that it is a hassle to simply throw a few in the Engel (or Esky) to take fishing, Camping or to a Party where Bottles are so much more versatile that way.
Had some carbonation issues with Bottles in the past (one I sent to the Doc comes to mind) but for some reason just recently it has really been a 50/50 deal.
I'm over it & rang the best mate who has had this keg system sitting idle since his wife passed near 10 yrs ago.
A good scrub up & a few new seal kits on the way but in the mean time I have set it up in my fridge with a Sugar carbed keg I did for him about 3 yrs ago which is still 3/4 full & holding it's seal, pouring OK but tastes pretty ordinary (an AG Ale from memory).
It is at least getting me ready to put a good one in a fresh Keg when the seals & new filter arrive (1 micron)

The other thing that really clicked once I had got the keg idea in mind is that I'm not restricted to what is commercially available size wise.
I hadn't really thought about it before but the std 9l corny keg won't quite fit in my MT45 Engel because it is about 38cm tall & the Engel is about 35cm inside......................Had a brain fart the other night & realised that I can cut a std 19L Corny down to any height I want. Got the TIG & the experience to do what ever I want with it.
Even build a square unit to specifically fit the Engel perfectly with the Engineering calcs to follow it thru.

Any way, back to Topic.
That 3yro keg which had lost its carb. I chilled & hit with 200Kpa for 24 hrs before posting here has come up pretty good but I had to hit it with the reverse method to top it off when I got home This arve (hence the extended jiberish ivé come out with tonight)

Might be spending a bit of time here again as I have found a rejuvenated interest in my Beers again!
Cheers & thx for your input.
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Re: How to carbonate kegs

Postby Tipsy » Wednesday Oct 30, 2013 7:19 am

Good to see ya again Mick.
FWIW I just carb mine at pouring pressure. It takes a week but I can fit 3 kegs in my fridge so I can drink from the other 2 while I wait.
You can't overcarb using that method.
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